California man uses stolen backhoe to destroy home

MADERA, Calif. (AP) -- Authorities have arrested a Central California man they say used a stolen backhoe to crush a vacant mobile home that was not slated for demolition.

The Fresno Bee reports (http://bit.ly/Sn5UMj ) Madera County deputies caught 51-year-old Richard Newman in the act of demolishing the home with the excavator, which went missing from a rental company last week.

Newman told deputies he didn't steal the John Deere backhoe _ he just borrowed it and was planning to return it after completing his job.

The manager of the bank-owned property says Newman was not hired to do any job _ especially not to demolish the home.